Princes of the Multiverse
by A Stern Glare
Summary: There's a whole MULTIVERSE out there Perseus, and the only way you can defeat what is to arise, you must see it for yourself. Perseus Jackson, you are a sentient thought, an imaginary friend, nothing more than a character in my mind, I am not a deity of power, I am thought itself. You want to explore the Multiverse? It's just one step, and many, many stories.
1. Chapter 1

**Perseus POV**

"Perseus Jackson." I looked up at my accusers and allowed myself the brief respite of hate before I realized how horrendous I must look. I stand in front of a council of schizophrenic supreme beings and a motley collection of horror-struck heroes. My eyes were covered with a leather strap but even now, I could detect the awestruck faces of the youngest of the audience. I was a hero to them still. The kids had never seen the old me: impulsive, rash, disrespectful, and unnervingly strong, they had only seen this new me. Now I was kind, and well-respected and scholarly, teaching swordplay, refereeing games of capture the flag, and in general being a background character in someone else's novel. "Are you listening?!" I smirked at him, my thoughts had wandered, and it was pretty obvious that despite his complete control right now, he was still the type to demand respect rather than deserve it.

"Fuck you!" I snarled. _Ouch, I didn't mean to say that._ My lips were curled in disgust as I struggled against the fetters that bound me. I licked my lips and growled, knowing that death could come at me from anywhere, so I needed to be alert. "Do what you like with me, I've been to Tartarus and back, and then back again, you can't do shit to me!" I snarked, turning my head from side to side, blindly searching for a sound to tell me where I am.

Ares sucked in a breath and exhaled heavily, clearly trying to calm himself. "I say we imprison him, let me torture him for eternity, then we'll see if he's so strong." I snorted and turned to face away from Ares, flipping him the bird behind my back. He began to curse quickly in Ancient Greek and I could feel his footsteps getting closer despite my impaired sight and I quickly lashed out at his chest with a roundhouse kick, sending him back into his chair reeling.

"Go ahead, send me to prison!" I screamed, my head whirling about blindly, I stood up straight, pulling the chain around my neck taut. "You know what will happen?! I'll get stronger! You know it's true, it always happens! You sent monsters after me, I got stronger, you sent me up against gods and titans, and I got stronger! You sent me to Rome, to Hell, all in an underhanded attempt to kill me, but fire makes iron stronger! And now, I'm better than ever!" I cackled maniacally, dropping to the ground and rolling around for a while until a sudden shock caused me to black out.

I awoke to the sound of arguing, and discovered that my blindfold had slipped down my face and was currently covering my mouth. "Father, this is unwise." Athena.

"I agree." Apollo stated.

"Even I must concur father, this is definitely not right." Artemis said, crossing her arms as she widened her stance defiantly. I smirked, _with all due respect Artemis, you are sexy as hell._ My eyes flitted to Athena who also held her head high and her legs apart. _Calm, composed, confident, and coincidentally kind._ I smirked and thought about saying something, but for some reason, my better judgement won for once.

"I will oppose this father." Artemis said, sliding her shoulders back as she cracked her neck, her voice and demeanor speaking volumes, and suddenly, I felt something akin to mischief rise from my soul, and I stifled a chuckle. _This would be fun_.

I played dead for a few more minutes while I was lead to the base of Olympus before I heard the light footsteps of Artemis coming from the opposite direction. I opened my eyes and simultaneously with Artemis, lashed out at one of the guards escorting me through Olympus with a heavy axe kick to the collarbone, while Artemis shoved her palm into the face of the other guard, breaking his nose instantaneously. Artemis stepped toward me and slit my handcuffs, freeing my hands. I pulled the blindfold down my face and smiled at Artemis who cocked an eyebrow at me and gestured me to follow her on her sprint toward her temple. I followed, keeping my head on a swivel.

"So, you got a plan, or do you just want to run away together?" I asked, pushing my luck for all it was worth today. Fortunately it held, because otherwise, Artemis might slit my throat. In fact Artemis almost seemed to be contemplating my comment before she shook her head and pointed to her temple where Thalia and Reyna stood guard, obviously expecting someone but probably not me. Thalia shot up when she saw me, and I waved, slowing only long enough for the two of them to hop up and join us in our gallivant through the home of the gods. "Hey Thals, what's up?"

"Not much, you know, saving my best friend from being executed, running for my life from my father, the usual, you?" Thalia replied sarcastically. I smiled at her and punched her lightly on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, if we get caught, I can convince your dad that I kidnapped you, then we'll be fine!" I laughed at my own proposition, but the mere thought of being caught by her father made Thalia nervous, that I could tell. I then turned to Phoebe and waved briskly. "Hey Reyna, how's the arm?" I remember her with a cast after the war, but no cast now.

"Unless you want to see it firsthand, run faster." She growled. I smiled at her attempt to frighten me, but complied nonetheless. I went from carrying the back of the pack to taking point with Artemis, my legs long enough and fast enough to keep up with her preternatural speed. "goddamnit, fucking show-off."

"Right, now!" Artemis shouted, and all four of us turned in a split second, skidding slightly as we slowed down and then we were off again, speeding through a series of turns and staircases, until suddenly, we were at a dead end. The only way past this point was over the building, so without slowing down, I charged straight at the wall and slid to a stop with my back against the wall on one knee, holding my hands in front of me like a step.

"Three, two, hup!" As soon as Thalia stepped on my hands, I lifted with my knees and threw her up onto the roof. She rolled to a stop and reached her hand down, catching Reyna, who clambered up the wall and then continued to the other side of the roof. Finally, Artemis gracefully-though an ornery move- stepped onto my hand step, and before I could push her up, she stepped up onto myshoulder and finally, onto my head before vaulting onto the roof and calmly striding across. All of this happened in mere seconds as I leapt up as well, grabbed the edge of the roof and pulled myself up, rolling back onto the roof and following the other three through the narrow side street they found themselves on until they emerged into a courtyard, filled with statues, braziers, and...maidens. "Is it just me, or am I the only Y in the room of X's?" I asked, looking around and bowing slightly in reverence to any and all of maidenly looking godliness. Most of the women giggled when I smiled sheepishly, causing me to feel even more sheepish. I was extremely confused until I saw a familiar face.

"Zoe?" I asked, stepping toward a very sombre looking maiden who sat at a bench reading a very thick novel with strange lettering on it's front. She looked up and gave me a kind smile, before looking down again. "Zoe, it's me! How are you here? How did you survive? What did you mean when you said that I was different?" I paused and felt my knees grow weak. She wasn't responding. "Why did you have to die? Why won't you look at me?!"

I leaned my head on the bench beside her and felt a few tears slip from my eyes as her death finally began to sink in. I began to pray. I had never done it before, in a world where seeing gods and goddesses were commonplace, I was praying for something beyond even them. I was looking for something bigger, maybe something that Chiron would call...existential, but I wasn't feeling very respectful.

 _Give. Her. Back._ I stood up and wiped away the tears, looking down at Zoe one last time, stroking her cheek. I turned around and saw the others standing a little behind me, their heads down. I walked up to Artemis, looked her in the eye and asked a question. "Permission to speak freely?" I asked,my head held high. Artemis took a deep breathe and responded.

"Permission granted, Perseus." I took another step even closer to the three and wrapped Artemis in a tight hug, my eyes shut tight.

"I loved Zoe." I stated, expecting to get hit, maybe even killed.

"I know, and she loved you." She patted me on the shoulder and took a step back, her face taut in a forced smile, trying to be kind, I knew I had seen the look before, but it was still unrecognizable, it was a confusing collaboration of sadness, guilt, and something that eluded me. Finally, she turned and strode toward the largest of the buildings in the pavilion. As she reached the door, it opened, seemingly on it's own before she stepped inside, calling for Thalia and Reyna to follow her.

Thalia looked back at me with pity in her eyes and grabbed my hand, dragging to my feet before placing a light, sisterly kiss on my cheek. "Come on Seaweed brain, I still believe in you."

"Thanks, but I don't know if I deserve it." I responded, shaking my head as I stood up and kissed her forehead. I followed Reyna into the largest building and immediately had to squint to save my sclera. The entire room was alight with a golden glow that permeated my eyelids. I tried covering my eyes, but it seemed like the light was moving right through my hand, which offered no relief. Suddenly the glaring brightness subsided and I noticed I was in a wide pavilion, surrounded by gods and goddesses galore. Apollo stood to the left of me, Athena to the right, to each of my shoulders there were goddesses, Aphrodite, Hecate, Nike, Iris, all lounged about the hall, and Artemis stood at the far side, facing me with an intense look in her eyes. I was tempted to gulp exaggeratedly at the look on her face, but the similar looks on everyone else's faces quelled that urge.

"Ah, the guest of honor is finally here." Apollo muttered, smiling inanely, his eyes never leaving his iPod. I stuck my tongue out at him in the most mature way I could manage and he finally looked up, smirking back. "Anyway, we don't have time for this banter. Poseidon! Your son is here!"

My father's head popped around the corner and I smiled at him kindly, the thoughts of him ever betraying me fleeing from my mind when I saw the hesitantly hopeful look in his eyes. He looked like he was expecting _me_ to smite _him_ , but hoping I wouldn't. He smiled back and let out a breath before disappearing back behind the corner. As he stepped back into my line of site, I noticed he was behind a cart, covered in a red velvet sheet. "I have some gifts for you Perseus."

"Is it Christmas already?" I asked, my smile wide. "And to think, I didn't get you anything!"

Poseidon quickly revealed the cart, and from below the velvet, shining brightly was a…

"...a briefcase…?" I asked, looking confused, undoubtedly. "Thanks dad, always wanted one of those."

"Go ahead, try to open it." Poseidon suggested, and I shrugged, stepping forward and picking up the briefcase, noticing that it was slightly...heavy. Not so heavy that it would be awkward, but heavier than a briefcase should be. "Got a bit of heft, eh?"

"A bit…" I muttered, opening it up to find it completely empty. "You didn't even get me a stationery set?" I mused, but Poseidon's smile simply widened.

"Now close it." Poseidon told me and I complied. "Think of a weapon you want and open the briefcase."

I looked at him in awe, not believing what I was hearing. "You're shitting me…" I said and closed my eyes, envisioning a sword, I was trying to focus on Riptide, but my mind kept on glimpsing back to Backbiter. _I wonder what holding Backbiter would be like._ I thought, and I opened the case.

"We shi- holy clusterfuck!" Apollo stopped himself mid-sentence. "That's…"

"Backbiter…" Athena muttered, stepping forward into the middle of the hall. "Do you understand what this means?" Everyone remained silent. "Anyone?"

"Nope, what does it mean?" Apollo replied, obviously still sweating.

"Perseus has been recognized by the blade. Perseus is...this is entirely unprecedented! Even Zeus didn't get permission to use Kronos' blade. I don't know what this means!" Athena muttered, kneeling in the middle of the floor, drawing complex diagrams on the marble. I stepped closer to the briefcase and drew the blade, swinging it in curiosity, it was well balanced. Not quite like Riptide, but still...it felt like it was connected to me.

"So, now what, this briefcase gives me whatever weapon I ask for?" I asked and Poseidon nodded. "So, how do I put the weapon away?"

"Just stick it back in, blade first." Artemis instructed and I nodded. I did as I was told and the blade disappeared. "Do you understand? You are now connected to anything you pull out of that box, you can call it anything you want."

I began to laugh and I knew instantly what to call it. "Oblivia!" I called out, and instantly, the box began to glow, Greek letters began to be carved into the wood and leather, πουθενά.

"So...what now? Do I just run away? Then what?" I asked, picking up the briefcase, but suddenly I dropped to the ground, gripping my head in pain.

 _"Come back to me, Perseus! I'm waiting for you. Come back to me and I'll lead you to your_ _real_ _home."_ The voice whispered into my ear, causing my knees to buckle. I felt the entire weight of the words, like the voice had just dropped me in a hole full of lead. I struggled for breath- and bang, it's gone.

"I've got a plan." I muttered. Athena's head popped up and everyone who knew me's eyes swiveled toward me. "It's not a good one, but it'll work, I know it."

"You're going back?!" All of the gods and goddesses demanded, already having read my mind, undoubtedly.

"You're insane." Athena called from behind me, not like she was mocking me, but more like she was honestly praying that I wouldn't go. "You've lost your mind."

Yes, I had, and I've realized that now that I'm standing at the edge of Olympus, but that hardly matters, I'm about to jump, and there's no stopping me now.

"Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, it's been a blast. I understand why they call beautiful women goddesses now." I said with a bow and and took a step closer to the edge. "Dad, Apollo, I'mma miss you guys, but I'm going to come back, and we'll kick Zeus' ass. Finally, Reyna, Thalia, and uh, guys, tell everyone that they shouldn't bring me up, it'll only raise suspicions."

"You're an idiot, but you're a good idiot, and that's the worst thing I can say about you." Artemis said, and Thalia nodded both were smiling widely. "Good luck, you dumbass."

"Rome will miss you. Even if you prefer the Greeks for some weird reason." Reyna joked saluting Perseus mockingly. Athena just shook her head and smiled, laughing silently, while Aphrodite giggled at the wholly overwhelming sexual tension in the pavilion, undoubtedly. "Good luck, and may God have mercy on your enemies."

"Good luck son." Poseidon said, patting me on my shoulder. "There's a special gift from me in that suitcase, but you'll have to find it yourself." I smiled at him and put my two fingers in my mouth, taking a deep breath, smiling widely, and whistled a nice relaxing two hundred decibel screech of a whistle.

Then I jumped, placing more faith in my horse than the gods. You see, that's why I love horses, they're awesome. I had barely fallen sixteen feet when Blackjack was there, lifting me from my steep freefall and carrying me off into the sunset and closer to the gates of Hell, by the second.


	2. Chapter 2

I quit.

Mr. Tea Time No More


	3. The Plot Thickens

_So, I'm just going to throw myself into hell?_ I thought to myself, looking across the sky, gripping Blackjack's reins near his neck and leaning tight into him. _That's smart Percy, real bright._

 _I'd like to see you come up with something better. There's still that buzzing, and we can't just ignore it._ I retorted, completely unconcerned that there was a second voice responding to the first in my head. That whole premise just frightened me. I yawed port and avoided a small clump of cloud, and caught myself in a thermal pocket.

 _You're worried about me being here, but you don't seem to mind the fact that one of your voices is telling you to throw yourself into hell, talk about misplaced priorities._ I thought for a moment and revelled in the fact that I had just lost an argument against one of the voices in my head. That really isn't supposed to happen. _Bang, I just blew your mind, and...by extension...my own. That sucks._

 _I'm really insane._ One of the voices said sadly. I frowned and yawed starboard again. Shouldn't I be the one thinking that. _Aren't you though?_

This whole time, I had barely noticed that Blackjack was slowly dipping farther and farther out of pattern. Then I felt the weight increasing on my hip and I noticed that the impromptu belt I had made to hold the briefcase was being pulled tight. I reached to grab it and pulled it up without too much effort. I shrugged and hefted the briefcase onto my shoulder and patted Blackjack on his flank. "Sorry Blackjack."

 _It's okay boss. But dang, that thing was heavy._ Blackjack gave a good solid flap of his wings and we raised about a full meter before he began a steep dive straight toward the water. _Your friends shall die around you Perseus Jackson, and you shall be powerless to stop it, just as you are now._

"Blackjack?! Blackjack?! _**Blackjack!?**_ " As soon as I finished screaming, I knew that there was no hope for Blackjack, but if I timed it right, I could still survive. As Blackjack entered the canopy of a forest somewhere in northern Washington I leapt straight off of him, flying forward in the air as I heard the sickening cracks and squelches of Blackjack's demise. I felt the tug in my gut strengthen as I suddenly felt the air around me thicken and I slowed down until I reached the tree and jumped off of it, toward the ground. I forced myself to look at the mangled mess that was Blackjack and I nearly hurled, instead, I looked up at the sky and muttered under my breathe. "You shouldn't have done that. You can come after me with your supernatural bullshit, and you can fuck with my life and my fate, but you should never, ever, ever, mess with my friends."

A whisper blew through the trees and as it blew past me, causing my shirt to flutter, I heard it say in a faint, guttural growl. "Too late." Then it began to laugh.

I clutched my head in pain as I felt something trying to cram it's way into my brain. I fell to my knees and groaned, finally falling flat on my face as an image passed in front of me like a movie…

"The boy was brave, I'll admit that, however, he was foolish to challenge the will of the _One True King_." Zeus stared down at a misty screen which showed a bo- Wait! That's me-...but I'm not dead. Am I? "He will find his way into the pit nonetheless. I believe that it is your turn to follow through with our deal, Hades?"

I stared at the spot where I was supposedly lying dead, but that's just it, I wasn't dead. I felt these thoughts flood my mind and I had to blink a few times. I looked around and my breath caught in my throat as I saw the state of my friends.

Closest to me was Apollo who appeared to have thrown himself on top of Artemis to stop an onslaught of blows. Near him was Artemis who was staring blankly at the space in front of her, and at first, I wondered what was wrong, and then I saw it. Her eyes were completely white, she no longer had a pupil, or an iris, her beautiful silver eyes were now completely milky and faded. To her left, Athena was hanging limply held up only by the chains that held her hands and feet. She was unconscious and as she hung, her mouth slowly dripped with golden ichor. Beside her was Thalia who was held up by only three chains, seeing as how she didn't have a right arm. All of this gore almost made me vomit, but then things got worse.

Reyna's entire chest looked like someone had been using her as a punching bag. The bruises and welts were so distinct that I could tell whether she had been hit with a fist or a foot, and all of the scars looked slightly black. It was obvious that someone had put something in her wounds.

"Why would they do this?" I asked out loud, staring at the sky as I noticed someone sitting in midair beside me. A middle aged man with graying hair and a generally happy expression sat beside me, looking at this mess. He ran his hands through his hair and frowned.

"This wasn't supposed to happen. This was never a part of the story." He muttered and in that instant, I suddenly realized that these might be gods, but this man carried more power than any of them.

"Are you the one who I'm supposed to find in the pit?" I asked nervously. He shook his head and looked down at a book that sat in his lap, flipping a few pages and finally finding the page he was looking for. He sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean when you say that?" He asked me, looking truly confounded. He flipped a couple of pages before grunting in anger. "Do you mean here? Do you mean in the scheme of things? Do you want to know the end of the story? Do you want me to just explain what's happening now? What do you want to know?"

"What's happening to my friends?!" I demanded, grabbing him by his shirt. He held up his hands in surrender, but he looked more amused than anything else.

"Of course that's what you meant, that's how I made you." He sighed and looked down at the book again before looking back at the scene, his eyes flitting back and forth a few times. "They're being punished- well, that's what Zeus claims it is, but he's being very specific. He's torturing them in ways that truly hurt them each."

"Apollo still believes that Artemis is dead, which has destroyed his will to live, meanwhile Artemis had her sight taken from her...along with...her purity, leaving her unable to hunt or protect her hunters. Athena has had her tongue taken out, meaning that she can no longer spread or communicate wisdom. Thalia had her dominant arm taken, now she can't shoot or use her spear. Reyna has been ripped of her honor as she was beaten publicly and forced to admit weakness. Aphrodite has been stripped of all beauty as she thinks it, she's bruised up and cut up, but she'll be fine, meanwhile, Rachel, Hazel, Piper, Jason, Leo, Frank, all of your friends have been tortured and have had their pride and their livelihoods removed. They are nothing now." The man finished and closed the book. He looked over at me and sighed. "I suppose you're my last hope. This action...this story, I didn't write it. I'm no longer able to guarantee a happy ending, that's up to you, so you need to find that voice! Find another author, find another story, find it and use it. It's the only way you can save your friends."

He said it with such pain and conviction that I felt a tear fall down my cheek. "What's your name?"

"I'm Richard, but you can call me Rick." He stuck out his hand for a shake and I took it. "I'll help in every way I still can. I can add some geography if I need to. Find the Ape Cave, near Mt. Saint Helens, if you go there, you'll find a symbol near the end, it looks like graffiti, but if you say the right prayer, you might just get a free pass into Hades' realm. Zeus doesn't know about it. I just made it, but you better hurry, I'm not sure how much more I can help you."

I woke up feeling alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic and enraged. I was going to kill them. I was going to peel the skin off of Zeus like a grape, and I was going to disembowel Ares and use his guts like tinsel, then I'll take Dionysus and use his blood instead of water to fill a fountain, maybe something with screaming devil, that'd be apt. _Is now the time for these thoughts? You need to head west. It's only about ten miles away. We can make it there by tonight._

"Alright, let's go to hell." I muttered to myself and ran in a direction that seemed to just pop into my head, I didn't know where I was going, but thank the gods my legs did. I jumped over fallen logs, I ducked under low hanging branches, I scampered over boulders and leapt over streams, I was not going to let anything get between me and that power that Rick told me about. _Don't let the power become your goal. The power is simply a step on the way to your goal, your goal is your friends._

Thank you voices in my head. I needed that. I had gotten distracted by that line of thought and I felt myself trip over a small log and crash into a bank of leaves. I stood up and cursed, that fall had jarred my shoulder, and it didn't hurt that much, but it was still an annoying twinge. I began to run again and this time, I just let my instincts take over. I was looking in front of me, but it seemed to be passing me faster than my body was moving. I felt the weightlessness of me jumping over streams and logs. I even felt the slight vertigo as I bounded over rocks the size of small cars. I could tell I was getting closer, without even knowing how, it was just a gut feeling, but I knew that I was almost there. I let my mind take over again and slowed myself down to a walk until I felt a shiver go up my spine.

It wasn't any particular thought that caused me to reach for the bag that Poseidon had given me, but I did, and as I pulled out what I had thought of, I finally realized the beauty of this gift. I pulled out a gun.

I don't know much about guns, and in honesty, it could have been a really crappy gun, but it was big, it was intimidating, and it was hefty, if that meant anything in my mind, it was that it had to have stopping power. I caught the slightest glance of what was following me, it was a pack of griffins. I had no clue how griffins hunted, or how to fire a gun, but I aimed the weapon, and I fired, and one of the griffins exploded into golden dust. I shrugged and aimed at another and blew it away. I continued this way for a while until there were no more bullets left in the gun, so I shoved it into the bag and pulled something else out at random, unfortunately, I knew what this was, how it worked and that I did not want it. It was a hand grenade.

I'll finish that little bit of story by saying that it ended. That's all I'm going to say. The griffin was dead, I was alive, and the burn marks on my hand are not your concern. I continued toward the cave, slightly more cautious, but nothing else jumped out at me, so I calmed down eventually and prepared for the final jog.

"So, you're the one that the cave is for?" A voice, or more precisely, three voices called out to me. I turned in surprise to see the fates standing in a circle, not even facing me, as they knitted a huge scarf. It seemed to run on forever, but only because the ends connected together. "Rick told us that you would come through here. You'll be needing this, or so he says."

They handed me the scarf and I wrapped it around my neck, letting it hang down in the back. "Thank you?"

"Do not thank us Perseus Jackson, you irk us. You are no longer under our control, and a pawn with a mind of it's own is of no use to us. You wear the shroud of history. Wear it well, _hero."_ They spat the last word with distaste and I frowned. "That shroud allows you to truly grasp the powers which were bestowed to you upon the fall of Kronos. It represents the passage of time as a continuous circle, never ending, always just beginning."

"So, if I'm a pawn, then you're playing chess?" They sighed in unison (creepy!) and nodded. "So, what happens when someone wins?"

They began to laugh ominously, and they finally looked up, staring at me with all of the passion of Hannibal Lecter, and smiled sadistically. "You ask an intriguing question. Very intriguing indeed…" As they finished their creep-fest, they slowly faded into nothingness and I was alone again.

"Thanks for the nightmares bro. Thanks a ton." I muttered to myself, wishing that I had somebody, anybody to talk to! The only person close enough to talk to was myself, and I wasn't exactly the best person for conversation. "That was just mean! Don't talk- err, think about yourself that way!"

So, Ape Cave. I don't know exactly what I was expecting from that, but I don't think this was it. I expected some small hole in the side of a mountain, or a cleft between a few huge rocks, but that definitely wasn't what I found. That definitely wasn't what I found. It was a huge hole in the ground with a staircase running down the edge of the cliff. I could see inside the hole there were a bunch of plants and the cave began to curve and wind through the earth. I looked around for witnesses, there was a half-asleep security guard, a distracted Park Guide and a smattering of tourists; easy.

Within ten minutes, I was at the end of the path, but I saw the rest of the cave continued for quite a few meters. "I can't believe I'm doing this. This is just another in a list of stupid things that I've done in my life. I should write a book about this crap that I do."

As I neared the end of the cave, I spotted it. It was a simple symbol, a circle with three triangles on the outside, sorta like a sun that a kid would draw, and it was graffitied on the cave wall in bright silver paint. As I stared at the symbol, it brought back images of the golden blood splattered about on the marble floor of the Throne Room. Rick had told me there was a prayer I had to say to get in, but the only words on my mind were a prayer for the safety of my friends. _I don't know who's out there, who's in control, but I'm begging you, please, don't let them die._

A voice spoke from directly behind me. "Meh, close enough." As I turned to see who spoke, there was nothing but a wisp of smoke behind me. I turned back to see the stone slowly turn to dust as it compounded upon itself and formed a door for me to walk through. I took a step in and felt myself falling. I internally sighed and thought to myself. _A path to hell...the hard way._

I could just imagine someone standing there laughing at me. _Careful, first step's a bitch!_

 _Thanks. Thanks a ton dude in my head._ I let out a humph of air as I landed on my feet and brushed myself off quickly. "That was sufficiently awesome." I looked around and realized that I knew where I was. I'm just outside the gates of Erebus, somewhere west of the fields of punishment, and somewhere south of everywhere. I was getting tired of sighing, but it seemed appropriate in this situation, so I sighed again and scrambled up the ravine and struck out for the gates of hell.

"Here goes everything, or nothing, or just...something." I muttered to myself, frowning thoughtfully. I was here, err- there. I had nothing left but the fall. "Let's do this shit."


	4. The Real World

The heartbeat of hell sounds a lot like a dubsmash remix of the howls of the undead with a little bit of running water and roaring fire. Usually it wouldn't make much of a lullabye, but after the first time I came, it's been the last thing I hear at night, and the first thing I heard in the morning. Not quite a lullabye, more like ominous background music, but Hell wasn't known for being accommodating, not even when you're trying to find the deepest pits of it.

As I wandered through Hell, looking for a local, or a downhill incline, or...you know, anything, but all I could ever seem to find was an elevator. It followed me like a puppy, a seven foot tall, double sliding door puppy, with a detailed crown molding, and a pair of buttons that haunted me almost as much as the putrid air, and the suffocating darkness. With the push of a button, I could go home. I could push that button, go to the surface, stop at Wendy's and grab myself a Baconator before Hell even realized that I was gone, but it wouldn't end anything. I'd still be the dead hero, and the only way to change that lies at the deepest point of the pit.

"I just want to go down! How is that hard?!" I demanded, throwing my hands up as I heard the scattered fluttering of wings. I looked around excitedly, clutching at the bag at my hip, hoping for something to kill, just to break the boredom. Unfortunately, nothing. I groaned and looked down, noticing my now smoking sneakers. "Dammit."

I grimaced at the new, lovely stench of burning rubber as my sole slowly burned away. Ha, I made a pun. I frowned and searched the horizon for any sign of a downward slope, but all I saw was that stupid elevator. I growled at the door and stomped up to it, drawing my fist back to hit it when I stopped. I looked at the door, and then I turned and looked away, then I turned and looked back at it. I forcibly blinked a couple of times and squinted at the door, then I looked at the place where a camera would be on a bad sitcom and I gave it a disappointed look.

 _Two buttons._

I'm in Tartarus. The Greek equivalent of the eighth circle of Hell, and here's an existential elevator connecting me to the surface…

If I am truly in the deepest pit of Hell, then why is there a down button on the elevator?! What is down when I am in Tartarus?!

Don't judge me. I figured it out quickly.

"Down button...that's how easy it is to go down." I stepped up to the elevator and gave it a solid wrathful glare, surprised and slightly content when it gave a tiny whimper and a squeaking sound as the door opened. I stepped in and saw a few silent shades standing in the corners, acting like anyone would in any elevator in the world. One of the shades stood in the corner, talking on his cell phone, but his words came out as puffs of fog, but that wasn't the strangest thing about him. He had a piece of rebar sticking out of his chest and his face was crushed. Another of the shades was looking down at his wrists mournfully, and fiddling with a bottle of pills in his other hand. The third was a pale and gaunt man, with a bald head, no eyebrows and a nasal...thing. The fourth and final man was frighteningly fat, with wagging fatty arms, a bouncing belly and legs that looked like stumps. His fingers looked swollen and his face was jowly and his forehead looked like it was dripping down his face. Then the door opened up again and in stepped a tall, beautiful man in a dark suit. "Hey, you're death!"

"And it took you two days to realize that your tag-along elevator had a down button." The man hardly turned around, but I could tell he was frowning. "Hello Mr. Jackson, how are you?"

"I'm just a bit confused, how are you?" I asked, looking up at him as kindly as I could manage and he returned the smiled, pained.

"I'm in denial. I've had three appointments with Rory this year already, and Jack just can't seem to get his shit together, and yet I'm still going to their funerals." Death frowned and looked at the scarf I was wearing as I stared at him in shock and disgust. There are people out there that he can't get to...I suppose hope does reign eternal. "Nice scarf. I see the Fates warmed up to you, which makes no sense."

"Kiss my ass, you existential jackass." I said calmly, a saccharine smile on my face. Death glanced back at me and for a second, I caught a smile on the corner of his face.

"I believe this is your floor." Death said calmly, smirking arrogantly. I smiled the fakest smile I could manage and exited the elevator. "Ah! And Mr. Jackson," I turned around. "I'm seeing some very familiar names on this list, you might want to hurry!"

"I'm trying! It's not my fault you bastards like to mess with my life." Death looked down for a moment, and then responded with a look of his own, a confusing mix of regret, dread, and respect.

"One favor, and only one favor. When you get back, look for purgatory, you'll find the ones that you love, because I don't like to mess with you. I hate my job, but it has good dental, and everyone needs healthy teeth." Death frowned guiltily at me, and I realized for the first time that life's a bitch, but death is a nice guy when you get to know him.

"I will, and thank you. I need all the help I can get right now." I stepped out of the elevator and stared deep into the abyss, already it began to infect me, crawling it's way into my deep subconscious.

Annabeth once said: "anybody who fights monsters has to make sure that they don't become one" Or something like that. "Because if you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss gazes back."

True, I paraphrased there a little, and at the time, I was only half paying attention, but at the moment, the quote filled my mind, along with one question.

 _What if you stopped staring into the abyss and jumped?_

 _Let's find out!_ I smiled manically, hyping myself up to take the plunge, and threw myself into the blackness, eyes wide and fists clenched. I finally murmured something under my breath that even I could barely hear and frowned. This needed to be said, and it needed to be heard, so I took a deep breath and screamed at the sky. " _ **I shall not be defeated**_."

The sky didn't respond, but the universe did, because as soon as I said it, I was forcefully removed from the universe.

"Really?" The disembodied embodiment of sarcasm asked. I looked around the room, not nearly as panicked as I should be, and spotted a generic...male? I think...looking at me. His face was blank, his height was hard to determine because he was sitting, but his figure seemed sorta male. "That was your idea? Your whole idea was; _Oh, I think I'll jump into the pit of hell, makes sense to me, right?"_

His impression of my voice made me sound like the love-child of Elmer Fudd and Goofy, but I couldn't help but admit that my idea wasn't entirely thought out. "Well, I'm not dead…" I trailed off. "So it could be worse."

"You are literally on a permanent freefall descent into the deepest, darkest pit of hell. You thought Tartarus was bad, you're screwed now-" He stopped speaking suddenly as the entire environment changed. "I did not see that coming."

"You- you thought that you could suppress us?" The man from before showed up, Richard. He was panting hard, his hands flying across the keyboard of a laptop, and he swallowed thickly. The formless figure growled at Richard and a pen appeared in his hand, similar to Riptide, but more expensive. Thick chains appeared on the man's wrists and he began to shake, his face changing from that of a teenager with acne scars and greasy hair to a dude with five o'clock shadow and a somber expression. "I control this world, and you will not end us."

"Perseus, I will contain this-...chaotic...thing, but you must find others to help us. Find the minds, the lords of the multiverse, you must traverse the ether...good luck." I stared into the eyes of Richard, or Rick, and then into the eyes of the formless figure, and I discovered something, No more Mr. Nice Guy. It was time to be ruthless, and perhaps even a bit asinine, and as Rick battled the pen armed man, I charged forward, screaming in a guttural rage and grabbed his pen, taking it with me as I exited the door and began another plummet.

 _Oh no, not again._


	5. Seriously Though Guys

**Seriously though guys, listen to Percy, he's right. Dust of the Earth will be different than you remember, but it'll be quite interesting.**

Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so.

-Ford Prefect

Remnant. Hyrule. The Four Nations. Pokearth. All of these places were being drawn together, pieces of their mass consciousness being woven together and stretched until they met in a single place, a place known as: The Akashic Field. With only twelve residents, the Akashic field was a transient trainwreck of thoughts and ideas, and soon, it's twelve residents would find themselves in a world that only one of them knew.

 _"-One True King!"_ Zeus announced with a maddened look in his eyes. All of the occupants of the room slowly fell in some sort of bow, some fell out of respect, some out of fear, and some were forced to the ground. They all awaited an order to rise, but instead perked up when the sound of a major guitar riff tore through the air.

"ACDC, Back in Black." Apollo muttered, his eyes still slightly glazed, until a wave of pure force drove the doors open, and each throne began to slide along the marble for a foot or two before skidding to a stop. The song changed with a start and another deep reverberating bass line screamed through the smoke. "TNT, also ACDC, good taste."

"Guess who's back, Zeussy poo?!" A voice called out, hoarse and gravelly, but it sounded like it couldn't be happier. With just as much speed and intensity as the entrance, Zeus' eyes went wide and he hurled a bolt of electricity at the hazy smoke, only for a bubbly voice to giggle and step out of the smoke, a buxom pink haired girl wearing a short skirt with greaves running from her knees to her loosely laced gray and pink combat boots. She drew a huge hammer from seemingly nowhere and shot forward at subsonic speeds, her wing emblazoned crown sparking with the lightning she seemed to have absorbed.

As she neared Zeus' throne, she came to a sudden stop and swung the hammer in a wide arc, smashing one of the arms of Zeus' throne as he disappeared with barely a moment to spare. "Tag, you're it!"

"Nora…" Two voices intoned, one an intelligent, demure voice, with a hidden power behind the calm, the other was the same gravelly voice from before, but this time it spoke with amusement. The latter spoke again. "It's been a long time Zeus."

"No! But you were just dead!" Zeus cried in panic, his voice quaking as he looked at the pool of blood that Percy had just been lying in. "I killed you myself. I watched as the life fled from your eyes. It's hardly been ten minutes."

"In the words of a good friend of mine: time is an illusion." Percy said happily, stepping into the light with a gleam in his eyes. His entire cape fell from his form and thudded onto the ground, revealing its impact proof properties, and the fact that it was heavier than small hatchbacks. "Anyway, I've been gone for years! You've just missed out because you weren't there. Don't worry, I'll write some books on it soon."

The whole room went silent for a moment as Korra looked at Percy hesitantly. "Are you seriously going to try and sit down and really write a book?" Percy shot her a hurt look. "I'm just saying, you aren't the calmest of individuals, perhaps you should let someone else write the book, and you can wait for the movie to come out…?"

"Don't do that! The movies always suck! And what actor would they even use for you?" The blonde boy in the green spoke up, looking disgusted at the idea. Despite the otherwise tense environment, the twelve figures stepped out of their combat poses and looked thoughtful for a few moments. "Jaune would be Michael Cera."

"Pyrrha could be a Karen Gillan." Percy suggested offhandedly.

"Ren could be Bruce Lee!" Nora piped up happily

"Nora, Bruce Lee is dead." Ren said calmly.

"Do not ignore me!" Zeus thundered, his face turning a blustery red. "How dare you interrupt me in my own throne room?!"

"Well, it's certainly not easy, you're so loud." A blonde with a synthetic arm commented, seeming disappointed. Percy smiled as he pulled the blonde close and rubbed the top of her head affectionately, drawing an almost feline purr from her.

"Seriously guys. We're kinda in the middle of a hostage situation." A black haired boy from the edge of the group with a hat on remarked. Percy nodded acceptingly and pulled a bag in front of him, drawing out a long, wickedly sharp blade.

"Seriously though. You should probably go check out the rest of the stories. They're pretty good, and they'll explain a lot of stuff." The main character said seriously, looking at the POV and nodding. "I'll even give you a line break and stuff. First up is the one ' _Dust of the Earth_ '. Good story, but the ending could be better."

* * *

This is the part where you go read _Dust of the Earth_ and a few more to come, they'll be good, don't worry.


	6. Author's Note

**This is an Author's Note, sorry.**

I generally despise writing Author's Notes, especially after my depression fueled quit earlier, but this needs to be done.

I have swamped myself more than I can handle. I have taken up far too many stories at one time, and there is only one way for me to fairly decide which story should be continued, and which should be delayed, therefore, I have put a poll on my profile, and I would appreciate it if you would be so kind as to respond to that poll, because I will be taking it down on August fifteenth, and at that time, the final decision will be made. Thank you for being understanding, and if you're not understanding than that's too bad; Assbutt.

Noraspace/Mister Tea Time

I will be putting up chapters for both Cowboys and Huntsmen and The Dust of the Earth, but if I get votes for another story, then I will focus on that story instead.

Many of you have noticed that the poll is not showing up on my bio, so I suppose I'll just have you leave a PM or a review with your top two favorite stories, and the one with the most votes will end up on top of my "to do" list! Thank you!


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